Photography competitions attract many participants. But whether you’re a beginner or a pro, it’s not easy to win one. Just submitting good photos doesn’t cut it. Since the judges need to deal with such a high volume of submissions, yours need to immediately grasp the judges’ attention and keep them engaged. But how do you do that? In today’s video, landscape photographer Nigel Danson answers this exact question and also shares some top tips for entering and winning in photography competitions:
Danson starts by sharing some basic yet overlooked advice that you should take care of when submitting photos to competitions. Having a straight horizon, keeping the subject in focus, ensuring a proper balance among highlights and avoiding distracting elements: while these sound simple, you’d be surprised at how many photographs get disqualified for these reasons.
Later in the video, he also shares some pointers on how to make your images stand out, by focusing on colors, shapes, geometry, textures and lighting. And while these factors help you to take your photos to the higher, they may not be enough to help you win. To increase the probability of you winning the competition, your images must be able to wow the judges.
Danson emphasizes the concept of making an impact with the images and the importance of creativity for winning competitions. Images are impactful if they stand out. This helps grab the judges’ attention immediately and makes them pause. Once you have their attention, you’ve shifted their focus to your creativity. Creative photos tell a story and also invoke emotions.
We highly recommend that you watch the full video. If you’re yet to find success in photography competitions, you’ll find it very much insightful.
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Nicely done Nigel with straight forward advice on what one should consider before entering competitions.
Thanks.